Federal Government Funded Until September

​President Trump signed a Republican-led stopgap measure to keep the government funded, preventing a shutdown after a contentious debate in Washington. The Continuing Resolution (CR) generally extends federal funding at current levels through the end of FY25 (September 30th) but increases defense spending by $6 billion and cuts nondefense spending by $13 billion.

The bill brings several funding changes, particularly for programs under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) is allocated $32.14 billion, a $3.65 billion increase, but this amount may still be insufficient to prevent the loss of 32,000 vouchers. Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) will receive $16.89 billion, an $880 million increase. Section 202, which supports Housing for older people, is set at $931.4 million, marking an $18.4 million increase. Similarly, Section 811, aimed at Housing for people with disabilities, has increased by $48.7 million to $256.7 million. However, the Community Development Fund faces a significant reduction, now at $3.43 billion, a $3.29 billion cut. The Public Housing Capital Account remains at $3.4 billion, and the Public Housing Operating Fund is at $5.5 billion.
 
The CR does not provide additional funding for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG). Instead, the HUD Secretary has been granted authority to repurpose unawarded funds from the Continuum of Care (CoC) Builds program, leading to an estimated $168 million cut in homeless assistance funding. The U.S. Fair Housing remains at $86 million, and the Interagency Council on Homelessness is funded at $4 million, but an executive order has attempted to eliminate it. The bill also does not allocate additional disaster recovery funding, and the Lead Hazard Control program is maintained at $345 million.
 
The bill faced strong opposition from House Democrats before reaching the Senate, with only one House member voting for it. However, ten Democrats, including John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, ultimately voted to advance the measure. Future budget bills will be further complicated as Republicans seek to enact large-scale government funding and tax reform, including extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) past 2025.